Sanctuary
by Undying lover
Summary: RikuxSora. Both deal with their emotions in a high school setting with an approaching school dance.
1. Chapter 1: It Begins

Sanctuary

Chapter 1: It Begins

_They embraced, lost in the realm of darkness. Their lips moved rhythmically with each other's. One boy pulled back, leaving the other in a state of confusion. Had he done something wrong?_

_The boy was smiling. "I missed you, Sora."_

Riku sat up in bed with a gasp. _A dream?_ The fifteen-year-old swung his legs over the edge of his queen-sized bed as he recollected his thoughts.

Riku was beautiful, and he knew it. He wasn't being cocky, he was being quite accurate. He had silver hair flowing down to his neck. His aquamarine eyes entranced those which he set his gaze upon. Normally, he wore a self-confident smirk, but now his face was filled with concern.

"Another dream about him…" he said to nobody in particular.

Riku stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. His parents had left for work already (they were usually gone when Riku got up; it WAS summer, after all). Riku glanced at the clock. 10:18 AM.

Internally, he sighed happily. _Thank God for summer._

Unfortunately, Riku had let summer slip through his fingers. It was now a mere five days until Riku started sophomore year at Destiny High School. Why, just the next day was the Moonlit Destiny Dance, a dance that welcomed in the new year, a dance people loved (hell, it's a dance) and feared (it signaled summer's end).

As far as love goes, summer had been interesting for Riku. He had tried dating Selphie for two weeks in July, but he found he didn't have that same click as other lovers had. So, they broke up (much to Selphie's dismay). Since then, nobody had sparked that kind of interest in Riku.

Nobody except Sora.

But that was dumb. Riku didn't love Sora. Riku wasn't gay. Right?

Riku continued with his normal morning routine of eating, showering, and watching a little TV as he mapped out his week. Today, nothing special was happening so, as usual he was going over to Sora's house, then to the beach to play. The next day was the dance. He would go to the local clothing store, Marcie's, to pick out a suit, then go home, prep, and go pick up his date, whom he agreed with himself he would find today. The next day, he hit the state fair with Kairi, Sora, Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus.

The only problem he now faced: finding a date for that damn Moonlit Destiny Dance.

Riku bounded up the porch steps and knocked on the front door of a very familiar house: Sora's house.

The house itself was very modest. It was two stories tall and painted in an aesthetic combination of red and white. Riku had always liked this house the best of any.

The door creaked open. There stood Sora's mother with an expression Riku had never seen Sora's mother wearing before-sadness. When she saw Riku, she gave a small, relieved smile.

"Thank God," she said, "Sora's up in his room. I'm glad you are here. He really needs a friend right now."

Riku was puzzled by these words, but thought nothing of them. He flew up the stairs, oddly excited to see Sora, almost like a lover going to see his boyfriend.

Not that he and Sora were lovers. They were just friends.

He opened the door.

Sora was lying on his bed with his back to Riku. He was shorter than Riku, but only by a little. He had light brown hair put up in spikes, almost looking like a failed mohawk. No, just a failed haircut. This failure was good, though, he seemed to pull off the "I-Have-A-Failure-For-Hair" look quite well. He had blue eyes. Very beautiful blue eyes. He dressed in a blue and white hooded sweatshirt and red shorts. Riku thought this outfit looked cute on him.

"Hey, Sora…" he stopped. Sora didn't acknowledge his entrance, which was odd for Sora. Normally, Sora would have run up, hugged him, and asked him how he was in a very hyper and peppy demeanor. But today, he just lay there, his shoulders moving in a weird pattern.

"Sora?" Riku was worried now. He walked over to him and turned him so Sora faced Riku.

Sora just stared up at him with those gorgeous blue eyes, a clear liquid falling from them.

Sora was crying.

"What's wrong?" Now Riku was really worried. Sora never cried unless something was really wrong.

Sora paused for a moment, before practically screaming, "GRAMMY'S DEAD!" and bursting into tears.

"…Grammy Naki?"

Sora couldn't respond, instead, he just nodded his head.

Riku laid down on the bed with him, in total shock. Grammy Naki was the sweetest old lady that ever lived. Grammy Naki was Sora's biological grandmother, but Riku loved her like his own grandma. When Riku was five, Sora led him over to his house for supper while Grammy was there. As soon as Riku walked through the door, Grammy Naki hugged him and got him a cookie, all the while commenting on how adorable he was.

Sora's head had fallen into Riku's lap. He still hadn't stopped crying. Riku ran his hand through Sora's hair in an attempt to comfort him.

Even though Grammy Naki had died, all Riku could think about was Sora. As he ran his hands through Sora's hair, he thought, _Sora has such cute hair. Sora has such cute eyes. Sora has such a cute…_he yawned, _body. Sora…_

"You're cute."

Shit. Had he just said that out loud? Luckily, Sora had fallen asleep. Riku decided to follow suit. With that, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

_They lay on Riku's island, passionately making out. He ran his hand down the boy's torso, eventually making it to his pants._

_"Sora…" he said lustfully as he unzipped the boy's pants_

_"Riku," Sora started, "what are you do-aaaaahh!" he gasped as Riku's mouth found its way around Sora's arousal. "Rrrrriiiiikuuuuu…"_

_"Riku?"_

"Riku?"

Riku opened his eyes. _Ay, another dream._ This was definitely not normal. Something was up with him. He felt something around his crotch. Something…hot and …wet.

_A wet dream? Well, that's new. Why must you be so hot, So-_

"Sora!"

Now it registered. He had been resting with Sora. His grandma had died. Sora, with a confused look in his eyes, put his hands on Riku's torso, now just beneath his abs, now…ah…God!

"Riku, why is this…whoa…" he said as he felt the moist boxers Riku was wearing.

A moment of awkward silence occurred. Then, Riku burst out laughing. Sora followed once he figured out what it was. Both boys were beet red.

They stared at each other for a while. Light blue met a darker blue. Riku felt something twinge inside him. Perhaps that's what led to the leap of faith he was about to take.

"Sora?"

"Hm?"

"Er…are you okay?"

Sora thought for a moment, then grinned cheerily and nodded. He took a very small amount of time to bounce back from something sad.

"Good. And Sora?"

Sora looked up at him, smiling. Riku had always loved that smile, it was so cute…so…cute?

What the hell was happening to him?

Riku snapped back to reality, and sharply inhaled. " Do you have a date for the Moonlit Destiny Dance?"

Sora blinked. "Well…no."

"Good! Wanna go with me?"

"What?"

Riku frantically tried to justify why he had asked the question, more to himself than Sora. "Well, neither of us have dates, and we would feel dumb just going by ourselves, right? So, why don't we go together?"

Sora thought for a minute, then gave Riku a small smile. "Sure, I'd love to go with you, Riku."

"Cool." Riku and Sora exchanged a quick hug.

The two bounded off to the islands to enjoy an afternoon of screwing around. Riku was ecstatic, he had a feeling not unlike that one gets when they find out someone they love likes them back.

Not that he and Sora were lovers. They were just friends. Very special friends.


	2. Chapter 2: Revelation

Chapter 2: Revelation

"I look dumb," the fourteen-year-old Sora lamented.

You look great," Kairi reassured. It was the day of the Moonlit Destiny Dance, and Sora and Riku still needed outfits. Kairi had come along as a kind of a fashion consultant.

"Yeah Sora," Riku sang, "you look GOR-geous!"

Kairi held in a giggle, while Sora blushed slightly. Sora had noticed Riku being in rather high spirits ever since Riku had asked Sora to the Dance. Sora hadn't paid too much attention to it. He was busy being confused.

The only thing that had been occupying Sora's mind was Riku. Riku this, Riku that. He had thought about everything from Riku's hair silver and shiny and shoulder-length, to Riku's eyes, aquamarine and beautiful, his body, firm and strong, and his ass, nice and…

Wait a minute. Now THAT was awkward. Sora didn't just think about Riku's ass, right?

Sora wasn't gay for Riku…

Right?

Sora snapped out of it, and smiled softly. "Thanks. I guess I'll go with this."

"Cool." Kairi said. "Now, I'll go find Riku something to wear. You two wait right here!" Sora could swear he heard Kairi mumble something like, "you two play nice," as she skipped off.

Sora turned to Riku. He was staring at him lovingly.

"You look good in that, Sora." Riku said, a funny-looking smile across his lips. Sora smiled back.

"Thanks."

He sensed something different. His legs were moving him in Riku's direction. Riku's were doing the same, but he didn't seem to mind. He wasn't consciously doing this, his body seemed to have a mind of its own. Sora and Riku walked towards each other. They were six feet apart, now four feet, two feet, a foot, 6 inches, ah God. This is getting…

Sora found himself in Riku's arms. He glanced up at Riku. Their eyes met tenderly, and Sora felt himself saying something. This was all so surreal, he wasn't sure if he was really saying it.

"Riku?"

"Yes, Sora?"

"I…I…" His voice cracked. Riku started laughing at him, ruining the moment. Sora pouted. Sora was very good at pouting, he made it seem very cute. Apparently, the charm of this worked. Riku smiled warmly and held him against his chest. Sora could hear Riku's heart beat rapidly.

CRASH! The lights went out suddenly. Sora glanced up, his eyes adjusting to the sudden change.

Before this could happen, he felt himself being pushed backwards until WHAM! He hit a wall.

"Ow…" he complained, "that…"

Before he could finish his protest, he felt something touch his lips. They were warm and moist. _More lips? Oh my God, am I being kissed?_

He returned the favor. Here he was, making out with some mystery person in the perfect dark. Maybe it was Ri-

Ri-re-really awkward. Yes, that's it.

The mystery person let up on Sora's lips, and moved down to his neck, forcing Sora to emit a sharp gasp. After that, the mysterious person briefly kissed him on the cheek, and with that, he (or she) was gone.

Sora was still for a moment. _What the hell was that?_ Whatever it was, Sora was kind of freaked out by it, but he also kind of liked it.

Before he could sort through his state of confusion, he felt a surging pain through the back of his skull. He had been hit with something. As he wondered what was going on, he collapsed in a heap of unconsciousness.

_He sat on the beach. He had seen this before, only it was with Kairi. This time, it was he who accompanied Sora on the beach. The waves passed through their toes in a very comforting manner. The temperature was warm but not muggy, just right. There was a beautiful sunset that the two were looking into._

_"Sora?"_

_"Hm?"_

_The boy reached behind him as he stated, "I need to ask you something…"_

_"Yes?"_

_The boy's hand emerged from behind him with a paopu fruit. A paopu fruit was a rare orange star-shaped fruit that was always the subject of rumors on the island. When two people shared it, their destinies were forever intertwined. It was a romantic wedding in juicy fruit form._

_Riku continued, "Do you love me, Sora?"_

"Sora?"

Sora groaned slightly as he came to. He sat up. Kairi and Riku were giving him worried looks. Riku was now dressed in a fancy tuxedo. He felt tired and sick, like he had a severe hangover. "Wha happun?" he slurred.

"Well, Kairi left to get me a suit," Riku began, "but when I looked over at you, you were lying on the floor, out cold!"

Sora considered this. Perhaps everything he had just witnessed, the dream, the kiss enshrouded in darkness, being in Riku's arms, maybe it was all in his head.

"Well, anyways," Kairi said, "we found the perfect outfit for Riku. Doesn't he look adorable?" Sora smiled and nodded. "Hee hee. Well, we're all set to leave. Four hours until the dance starts. Ugh," she groaned, "I can't believe I am going stag!"

Riku scoffed, in his usual smart-ass state of mind. "You're no fun to date. You talk too much."

"Hey!" she shouted defensively, but then she giggled. "So? At least I'm not stuck-up, like SOMEONE I could mention…"

Riku chuckled. "Shut up."

The three of them left the store. Sora could swear that, for a split-second, Riku had mouthed the words "thank you" to Kairi. Sora wondered why.

The Dance started at eight.

At six o clock, Riku was coolly getting ready, though his nerves were practically screaming.

He wasn't entirely sure why he and Kairi had planned that. Hell, he wasn't entirely sure why he had TOLD her in the first place. Sure, they were best friends, but did she really have to know in the first place? They had been sitting on the island while Sora and Wakka fought a match.

"Kairi, can I tell you something I am struggling with and trust you to keep it secret?"

Kairi, looking a little worried, said, "Sure, Riku."

"Well…I think I am gay."

There was a long, awkward silence. Riku could feel the heat rising to his face. He knew Kairi liked him, so now she was probably hurt. However, she only showed a little of this pain. She lightly sighed and said, "OK. Well, are you sure?"

"I…I think so."

"Hmm…well…you know what THAT means, right?" Kairi asked, a grin growing on her face.

_Oh boy, _Riku thought. "What?"

Kairi giggled. "That means you have to talk with me about boys!"

Riku paused, then groaned, "Oh God."

Kairi laughed. Afterwards, she asked the inevitable question. "So…got your eye on anyone?"

"Erm.." Riku said, his cheeks turning red. "…Sora…"

Kairi laughed louder. "Yeah, he's cute…but he's too much of a good boy. I want someone…crazy."

Riku chuckled. "Whoa there. I didn't know the Kairi I grew up with has a wild side!"

She laughed. "So I'm currently crushing on Tidus."

"Ah, he's cute."

"Yeah, and that open shirt he wears?" She did some odd combination of a gasp and a squeal. "HOT!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "What?" Kairi sulked.

"You know…I still haven't told Sora. How do you propose I do that?"

"Well…" she then gasped. "What if, when we go shopping for the Dance with Sora, I go and, uh…I'll leave, and go ask Yuffie to turn the lights out in the store!"

"Yuffie?" Riku enquired.

"My good friend, who just so happens to be the daytime manager of Marcie's, where we are going shopping."

"O…kay…so what do I do when the lights are out?"

"Make your move!" Kairi shouted, causing everyone within a 200-meter radius to turn from whatever they were doing and look at her. "Heh…" she said embarrassedly. "Sorry!" Everyone else went back to their daily routine.

"But how?" Riku asked innocently.

Kairi scoffed. "Do I have to teach you everything? God, you're such a virgin!"

"Hey!"

"Do you deny it?"

"…no…" Riku stated weakly.

Kairi laughed. "Well, just play it by ear."

Riku smiled. He was rather good a spontaneity. "Right."

So now, here he stood. Looking at himself in the mirror, two hours after making out with Sora in the pitch dark. Now, he was going to take Sora to the Dance.

_Here goes nothing,_ he thought.

Nothing but love.

Riku and Sora entered the dance quite romantically, but Sora knew they were just mocking real romance. They were holding hands and laughing at how utterly stupid they must look.

Sora glanced around. Everyone was staring at them as if they were being stalked by a giant donut. Except Kairi. She was grinning like an idiot.

The night had been wonderful. Riku had gotten Sora at his house, greeted kindly by his mother, but rather lukewarmly by his father. _Bah, _Sora thought _My father doesn't know anything._

They took a seat by the punch bowl. Tidus and Kairi were off dancing. Tidus had asked Kairi at the very last moment, and Kairi had excitedly said "yes". Selphie was chatting away the hours with Auron. They were like the odd couple; Auron was reserved as usual, but Selphie was hyper and chatty. Even though Auron was only nineteen, he looked a lot older. From the outside, this looked like an extremely pedophilic relationship. Meanwhile, Leon and Cloud were getting comfortable with each other in the back. Sora found this strangely cute.

A few songs rolled by as Riku and Sora went to get their pictures taken. Right as the picture was being taken, Riku grasped the younger boy in a very gentle embrace. That Riku, so spontaneous. Just the way Sora loved him.

As they stepped out of the photo booth, D.J. WindCid (also known as Cid Highwind) said, "All right, all y'all couples git to the floor. We're slowin things down in here."

As the song started, Riku gasped and whispered, "I love this song!" Then, he grabbed Sora's hand and led him to the dance floor. Once they got there, Riku twirled Sora around in a move he learned in tango class. Riku grabbed him around the waist and began to rhythmically slow-dance to the song. Sora threw his arms around Riku's shoulders and did the same. The lady who created the song sang:

_You're a song written by the hand of God_

_Don't get me wrong, because this might sound to you a bit odd_

_But you are the place where all my thoughts go hiding_

_Right under your clothes is where I'll find them_

_Underneath your clothes, there's an endless story_

_There's the man I chose, there's my territory_

_And all the things I deserve_

_For being such a good girl, honey._

_Because of you, I forgot the smart ways to lie_

_Because of you, I'm running out of reasons to cry_

_When the…_

"Sora…" Riku whispered in his ear, "I love you."

"I love you too, Riku"

And there it was. The confession, Sora and Riku coming clean with each other, with themselves. They had just spoken the explanation for the feelings that each felt. But something was wrong for Sora.

"No," Sora said. "I…I don't love you."

"Wh-what?"

"I can't love you, Riku. I just can't. Don't you understand?"

"No, Sora." Riku said, quite loudly, causing everyone at the dance, which was a lot of people, to stop what they were doing to watch. Cid even stopped the music to watch the fight unfold.

"But Riku…"

"But what? But you can't be stand being regarded as gay? You're ashamed to be who you are? To be with me?"

"Well…yeah, in a sense…" Sora said, turning redder and feeling smaller by the second.

"So, that's it, huh?" Riku said flatly. "You can just rip my heart out, then spit on me, and leave me to bleed and cry all for your popularity? Well, fine. If that's how it is, then why should I even bother with you? Goodbye, Sora."

"But…"

But Riku wasn't listening. He turned on his heel and left. Sora chased after him with the whole school (and then some) looking on in shock.

Sora ran out the doors of Destiny High School, to see Riku's figure silhouetted against the cold, hard night. He ran hard to try and catch up, but when he got to where he had seen the shadow, it was gone.

And so, that was it. Riku and Sora's long friendship was ended. Fourteen long, happy years were gone with a simple utterance of the word "no." All of it, down the drain.

Sora had never felt worse in his life. Riku hated him. The same Riku that had accompanied him into the Secret Place because Sora thought there were monsters in there. The same Riku who would not sleep when Sora held sleepovers because they both were up all night giggling. The same Riku who, just a day earlier, had comforted him when his grandmother had died.

As if on cue, it began to rain. Sora sat down on the curb, his hair now drooping in his face. He started to cry for the second time in two days. This time, though it was entirely his fault.


	3. Chapter 3: Repairing Burnt Bridges

Chapter 3: Repairing Burnt Bridges

Sora couldn't sleep that night. He was up all night, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. He had told Riku he didn't love him, but Sora wasn't entirely sure if this claim was true. If Sora didn't love Riku…he had been having these weird thoughts lately. Why they occurred, Sora still did not know, but Sora being in love with Riku would offer the most logical explanation. Why had he ended their relationship on something he wasn't sure of? He and Riku had been getting cozy lately, Sora couldn't deny that, nor could he ignore the fact that he kind of enjoyed the attention. So what prevented him from giving love a shot, regardless of how wrong it looked in the eyes of others? If it isn't "normal" to be gay, could someone explain to him how irregular experimenting was? Besides, who's to say what "normal" is, anyways? We are our own unique persona, that makes us who we are. We are all different, so what place do people have creating a status quo, and condemning those who don't walk within the lines?

Sora knew only one thing: he wanted Riku back.

Riku couldn't sleep. He sat up all night, staring blankly at the floor of his bedroom. Perhaps all of that work in the mall, maybe it was all for nothing. Maybe asking him to the Dance, maybe it was all for nothing. Maybe his and Sora's entire relationship, maybe it was all for nothing. None of it mattered anymore. Now he wondered: where does he go from here? His best friend hated him, Riku and Sora were probably the laughing stock of the town, and Kairi probably hated him, though she would never show it. Riku was still mad at Sora for turning away when Riku was giving him nothing but affection. But, simultaneously, he was mad at himself. He had obviously led himself on a wild goose chase that ended with nothing but pain. None of it mattered anymore. He still wondered where he could go, what his options were. He could grin and bear it, but he would be miserable. He could transfer to another school, or maybe even another world! But…that would be leaving everything he had behind, and that was something he didn't want to do. What he had, he wasn't sure anymore.

Riku knew one thing: he would kill to have Sora back one last time.

Kairi couldn't sleep that night. She stayed up, staring blankly at the wall. She and her two friends were caught in a tangled web of desire, and she wasn't exactly sure of how to escape. She had watched Riku go after Sora contently (at least on the outside), and yet it wasn't worth it. It didn't have the ideal, fairy-tale ending she had envisioned. Their awkward triangle-of-a relationship was like a giant crack addict, because tonight, all three had hit rock bottom. But what rehab were they expected to attend? How in the hell could they patch their relationship up?

But God forbid things be only this complex. No, to get to the real situation, one must add in the fact that Kairi was still in love with them both. It wasn't fair, because now, she couldn't date either of them. Riku was gay, and Sora would make Riku feel awkward. By accepting this catch-22, she was surrendering her happiness. That's what it came down to. Her happiness versus Riku's happiness. She didn't know what she wanted anymore

Scratch that. She didn't know what she wanted anymore, save for one thing: she wanted everyone, including herself, to be happy.

Tidus slept like a baby. After all the alcohol he drank at Wakka's party, he deserved this moment of peace before he woke up with one hell of a hangover.

_The boy reached behind him as he stated, "I need to ask you something…"_

_"Yes?"_

_The boy's hand emerged from behind him with a paopu fruit. A paopu fruit was a rare orange star-shaped fruit that was always the subject of rumors on the island. When two people shared it, their destinies were forever intertwined. It was a romantic wedding in juicy fruit form._

_Riku continued, "Do you love me, Sora?"_

_Sora paused for a moment before responding, "Yes. Yes, I have always loved you, Riku."_

_Riku's eyes softened as his lips curled in a small smile. "That's good. Because I need someone to share this with." He motioned towards the paopu fruit he held in his right hand."_

_Sora smiled back. "I would love to share that with you, Riku." _

_Riku held the fruit up to mouth-level. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku and closed his eyes as the two simultaneously bit into it. The juices rushed into his mouth, leaving it with a tangy aftertaste, much like an orange. They delved further into it, until they had eaten it all up, at which point their lips met in the most romantic kiss either had ever shared._

_Eventually, Sora broke the kiss, and held Riku close. "I love you, Sora" Riku whispered in his ear._

_"I…"_

"I love you too, Riku."

Sora sat up in bed, staring at the wall in disbelief, or maybe it was revelation.

"I love him…" he whispered. He hopped out of bed and threw on his clothes, wondering how the hell he was going to pull this one off.

Riku awoke to the soothing sounds of birds softly chirping outside his window, to the sight of brilliant white sunlight cutting through the leafy green palm trees… and he cursed. Quite loudly, and quite violently. He did not want to get up. He had been through one hell of a night, didn't he deserve five more minutes in bed? _Still,_ he thought, _The day won't wear itself out._

He had fallen asleep sometime around 4 in the morning. He didn't remember falling asleep, it had just kind of been blended with the recurring regrets revolving around Sora.

_Sora…_Riku felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow and anger at the same time. He hated Sora. He hated himself. He hated life. He hated everything. Internally, Riku sighed. The shit had hit the fan, and Riku didn't know how to recover.

Riku didn't go to the state fair like the kids had previously planned. He heard via concerned call from Auron that only Wakka and Selphie had gone. Sora and Kairi were, as Auron put it in the most neutral tone imaginable, "dealing with their emotions." Meanwhile, Tidus had a terrible hangover. Selphie's little plan for the gang to go and enjoy an afternoon together before school had fallen flat.

Two hours later, Riku was lying on his bed, lost in thought, when he heard a pebble hit his window. At first, being in the horrible mood he was in, he decided to ignore it. But, even the intensely depressed Riku is a curious one. So, he went to the window. What he saw filled him with a number of mixed emotions at once.

Confusion. Anger. Sadness. Happiness. Relief. Love.

Sora stood outside, holding flowers in one hand while the other hand hid behind his back. Following him were what Riku assumed to be about 50 of his and Sora's closest friends, including Kairi, Selphie, Wakka, Auron, Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, Cid, and even Tidus (looking as hellish as ever).

"Riku!" Sora called out cheerily.

"What do you want?" Riku responded coldly.

Sora was unfazed. "Come down, I want to talk to you."

"Talk from here." He knew he wasn't exactly helping Sora do…whatever it was he was doing. Still, he didn't care. He wasn't in the mood to give the boy who had ripped out his heart a helping hand.

"Come on, Riku!" Sora pleaded. The grouping of myriad people echoed his plea.

Riku sighed. He was still unimpressed, but again, curiosity bested him. Before he knew what he was doing, he was in front of Sora.

"What do you want?" Riku asked apathetically.

Sora smiled warmly. Riku still loved that smile. _It's such a cute smile…wait…SNAP OUT OF IT, RIKU! You're angry! ANGRY!_ Sora then shoved the flowers in Riku's arms. They consisted of red roses, white roses, and lilacs, creating a fragrant scent that just so happened to be Riku's favorite. Riku found this odd. He had only told Sora about his favorite smell once, and that was four years ago. Though he was still pissed off, he had to give Sora kudos to detail.

Sora's eyes shone with sorrow. "I'm sorry for last night, Riku. Can you forgive me?"

Riku knew this was the textbook definition of sincerity. He sighed and said, "It's okay, Sora. I could never be mad at you."

"I need to ask you something…" Sora's hand emerged from behind his back with an orange, star-shaped fruit.

_A paopu fruit?_

Now Sora's eyes shone with a new emotion…something happy…was it…love?

Sora continued, "Do you love me, Riku?"

And with that, Riku's hard shell had been plucked off by Sora's affectionate gestures. Riku's anger, his sorrow, his hatred, his misery, his fears, his lies melted away. Life once again felt better as a heavy weight was lifted from his chest. His eyes brimmed with tears which he ineffectively tried to hold back by biting his lower lip. He nodded.

"Yes. Yes, Sora…" he said as a tear of joy rolled down his right cheek. "I have always loved you."

"Good," Sora said, "because I need someone to share th-"

He didn't get the line out. Riku grabbed his had and pulled Sora close while putting Sora's hand at mouth level. Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's neck. "Are you ready?" Riku asked, somewhat cautious.

Sora nodded happily. With the crowd behind them chanting, "eat it," they obeyed. At first, they both took a little nibble, but then on the second bite, they really tore into it. When they had finished every bit of it, they closed the gap between their lips in a kiss that resembled very closely the one in "Lady and the Tramp. Except this kiss was intentional.

When they finished kissing, they held each other close. The crowd behind them cheered. Kairi cried, but out of happiness. Her two boys were happy. That was all that mattered. She could date Tidus if she wanted. She, overall, was happy for them.

Though the crowd's cheering could have drowned out an AC/DC concert, all the boys could hear were their breathing and the beat of their hearts which, coincidentally, were beating at the same pace: very, very rapidly.

"I love you, Sora," Riku whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, Riku," Sora returned.

And so, there they stood, wishing this moment, this one embrace, would last an eternity. They were in their own little world. Both boys were ecstatic. They had finally confessed their sin of falling in love, except this time, the sin felt so right. Both boys had butterflies fluttering frantically in their stomachs. They had a feeling much like that one gets when they reunite with a good friend after a long feud.

Not that he and Sora were friends. They were just lovers. Very special lovers.

The end


	4. Epilogue: Sweet Memories

Epilogue: Sweet Memories

_Time jump: About 1 month later…_

_They embraced, lost in the realm of darkness. Their lips moved rhythmically with each other's. One boy pulled back, leaving the other in a state of confusion. Had he done something wrong?_

_The boy was smiling. "I missed you, Sora."_

Riku sat up in bed with a gasp. _A dream? The fifteen-year-old attempted to gather his thoughts. All thoughts stopped as he felt something stir next to his side. A certain spiky-haired teen sat up in bed, studying his boyfriend through tired yet curious eyes. "Riku?"_

_Riku turned to him, his eyes glistening with a certain light Sora had never seen before. "Hm?"_

_Sora yawned, and then sniffed, mocking irritation. "You woke me up, you jerk!" He punched Riku lightly in the arm._

_Riku chuckled, and ruffled his hair. "Go back to sleep, sleepy-head. It's 3 in the morning." Riku poked his boyfriend's nose. "You need your sleep. You know how zombie-like you are without it._

_Sora giggled, and hiccupped in the middle of it, making the act the literal definition of "adorable." "Okie-dokie." Sora agreed, "but what about you? Aren't you going to sleep?"_

_Riku smiled and shook his head. "No, thanks. I need some time to…think." He unwound his iPod earphones, and turned it on. Sora, giving a nod of understanding, fell backwards, no doubt to go back to sleep._

_Just as Riku was hitting "Shuffle Songs" on his iPod, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to face the hand's source. It was Sora, who was looking at him serenely, barely awake. "Why don' you come to bed?" Sora slurred._

_Riku giggled. "If you insist." Riku fell backwards, into Sora's arms. They lay there, comfortably for a while, until Sora, in an attempt to spark conversation, also sparked the cliché Hollywood love moment._

_"You know…you're the first one I really loved."_

_Riku turned his head, slightly surprised by what Sora had just said. "Really?"_

_Sora nodded, then held him closer to his body. "I love you, Riku. More than anything else in the world. Promise you will always stay with me?"_

_Riku let a soft smile creep up his face. He gave Sora a light, reassuring squeeze. "Of course. You say that…like there's someone who's better for me."_

_Sora looked down towards his feet shyly. "Well…I'm certainly not perf…"_

_Riku put a finger to the boy's lips, only to have them soon replaced with lips, a tender kiss. "Sora…listen to me…you are beautiful. More beautiful than the sun. More so than the moon. More so than anything else that is walking, moving, breathing on this planet. And…you have no idea how proud I am to call you mine."_

_Sora smiled softly. "Thanks. Night, Ri-kun."_

_Riku nuzzled against Sora's neck. "Night, Sora-san." And, as Sora fell victim to his sleepiness, Riku just turned his attention to the song that was playing on his iPod._

_Underneath your clothes, there's an endless story_

_There's the man I chose, there's my territory_

_And all the things that I deserve_

_For being such a good girl, honey._

_Fin_


End file.
